Lemuel Bridger
Lemuel Bridger was a slave known as Oenomaus who became a gladiator trainer in his masters Ludus, traditionally referred to only by the title of "Doctore". At a young age, he was recruited into the Ludus by former lanista, whom he came to see as a father figure. After the downfall of the House, Lemuel believed he had lost his purpose in the world and retired himself to die in The Pit. However, with the help of Malachai Macklyn and the other Rebels, he became a Vampire and eventually found a new purpose and joined the Rebels' cause, quickly being recognized as a mentor. History |-|Early Life= As a young man Lemuel was condemned to fight in the Pits after being sold to the pit boss by a slaver, his face painted white. After showing an unusual level of ferocity and fighting prowess, he was purchased in the Pits by the local lanista for eight denarii. The former took care forging him into a gladiator, encouraging him to find an honorable reason to fight, instead of simply doing so to survive. Lemuel eventually chose to fight for the purpose of honoring the House. Trained to be highly skilled gladiator by Doctore, Lemuel would eventually rise to the title of Champion. Lamuel introduced Malachai and the other recruits to the life of being a gladiator, which included brutal training exercises and verbal assaults. He originally dislikes the Egyption for his insubordination and unpredictability, although he gained some respect for him after he earned the mark of the brotherhood. Later, he is assigned by new lanista to train Malachai to fight against the Gladiator that originally bested him. Although he believed his efforts to be futile, believing Malachai to be a truly supernatural creature. He followed Malachai into the center of the villa as the other gladiators had the lanista cornered. He pled for "Lemuel," revealing his true name to the gladiators, but Lemuel remained silent and watched as the lanista dropped his sword and was killed by Malachai. He left the ludus, along with the other gladiators and slaves, as they prepared to escape and exact their revenge on Rome. Lemuel was captured and presented in the arena for execution, with his hands and legs chained and each armed with a single, blunt sword. He realized that the "fight" to come is but a show: he had been given inferior weapons to further remove any chance of survival. Malachai, disguised as Roman guards, kill the remaining gladiators and guards and then look for Lemuel. Malachai found him and turned him into a Vampire. |-|1950= Sometime around the 1950s, in New Orleans, Lemuel found a young Witch girl. Lemuel took her to one of the rooms upstairs, where he told the girl to close her eyes and that it'll only hurt for a second, then it will feel good, and finally, it'll be over. He even considered joining her into the daylight, thus putting an end to his miserable existence. The girl didn't believe death was the answer. He could change even though he had chosen his path a long time ago. Lemuel returned to the restaurant with her right behind him. |-|2018= He holds quite a romantic relationship with Olivia, which shows a somewhat softer side to Lemuel rarely seen when he socializes with others. After marrying her she begged him to turn a 18 year old son, Riley. Personality |-|Vampire= Having been around for centuries, Lemuel Bridger has become an experienced vampire, who is strong, wise, and protects those he considers allies and friends, no matter what. Also, he is not hesitant to use quick and deadly force against those that threaten Mystic Falls. Supernatural |-|Power and Abilities= Being a vampire gives Lemuel superhuman physical abilities as well as powers of mind control. Physical abilities such as strength, speed, agility, durability, healing and senses all grow stronger with age and experience. If Lemuel was to feed on animal blood he will not be as powerful as a vampire who feed on human blood. Human blood is also known to increase the speed of healing when ingested by being seriously wounded. *All known Vampire Powers |-|Weaknesses= If Lemuel was to be killed by a wooden object stabbed through his heart, the body desiccates into a gray color, and Lemuels' vampiric veins thicken and protrude from his skin. Lemuel has built up tolerances to some weaknesses, such as vervain, allowing him to protect himselve from compulsion. However, it will still burn Lemuel upon contact. *All Known Vampire Weeaknesses